Not Enough
by animal8
Summary: After BD the Cullens return to Forks and find an unexpected guest in the forest persued by a deadly enemy. The family take in their new friend, but danger still lurks. Bella is targetted when the newborn bonds with her. What will she do to protect her?
1. Preface

**Not Enough**

Preface

How come, when everything seemed so perfect, that I had finally found my place in this world, the danger that had stalked my human life was still so potent in this new life? The impossibility of such a situation is staggering and yet here we are in the middle of it.

All that mattered to me now was at risk and there was little or no chance of being able to save it. I stood, surrounded by my new family, facing down a new enemy. We were about to face off in a fight that meant literally life or death for all of us.

This was down to me. And now because of me, my new family were about to meet an undeserved fate and there was nothing I could do to stop them. They had sworn to protect me, even when I was human, and now they're doing the same thing again.

The outcome of this is inevitable unless my trust pays off. Our only hope of salvation lies in the hands of an inexperienced newborn and the timing must be absolute.

Time is running out; I can already feel the drain on my strength and I don't know how much longer I can hold out. At the moment I'm the only thing standing between my family and the enemy facing us. I have to hold on and hope my trust pays off.

…For my family.

* * *

**(AmPOV)**

There was pain everywhere. As if the world had always been consumed by pain; as if it was the only thing I had ever known. And I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

How could I fight the raging inferno inside of me now? It was surely impossible. I would die; it had to be the only outcome of such extreme pain.

But through the darkness, images began floating into my mind of their own accord. Memories of my past and of everything I had to lose; things I couldn't possibly let go of, that would kill me to do so, even if this fire wasn't already completing that job.

I remembered my captors. Specifically, I saw their red eyes, glinting in the dying light, filled with such power hungry greediness. I had known then that nothing good could ever come of such a thing. And I had been right.

That hadn't made much of a difference. There was never a thought that I would ever stand a chance against them. And they had taken me and I was defenceless.

The pain was reaching a new peak, burning brighter and deeper into me just when I had thought it couldn't get any worse. I found, though, that I could still think despite the flames licking and scorching through me.

I knew I had to escape. That was the only thought that I had managed to keep in my mind as the fire retreated. And when I awoke, that was exactly what I did.

Once I had succeeded, then I found _them_. The Cullens.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey, just fidling around with this story, I added a new section to this prologue bit in Amile's POV. I felt it needed to have more of a draw to make it more attractive to potential readers. So, let me know what you think and if it's successful. I will try to upload chapter 4 as soon as possible, I promise it is written, just needs checking and stuff. So please, all those people who are reading this and NOT reviewing, please, please, review. It really is helpful and encouraging to other writters and I personally make a note to review on every story I read (Which is a hell of a lot ;D)**

**Please review!! ;D**

**animal8 xx**


	2. 1 First Day Back

Not Enough

Chapter 1 – First Day Back

It was still absolute bliss to lie still in Edward's arms like this, even though neither of us had need of sleep. From the window in our bedroom we could see the sun rising in the east.

It wouldn't last long. The usual cloud coverage of rainy old Forks was quickly moving to hide this small town from the suns rays. That was good; it would mean we could go to school today. Surprisingly, I was actually looking forward to it. I wouldn't have expected that.

I was back in my junior year in Forks high. It had been nearly twenty years since I had graduated from here, back before I became a vampire. I found it somewhat comforting to be back here. I didn't expect that either.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked suddenly, stirring me from my thoughts.

I sighed; he really never got tired of asking me that. "Just how strange it was to be back here after so long," I answered truthfully.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he mused, obviously thinking of that time when he first met me. He chuckled then.

"What?" I asked, curious.

"Renesmee's getting impatient," Edward said, turning his face to look at me with a questioning expression. "Shall we?"

I sighed again, reluctant. "Yes, I suppose we should". I faced him as well then and lifted myself slightly to press my lips to his. "At least we still have tonight, right?"

Edward chuckled again. "Yes, we do," he paused, "though we should probably take advantage of the sunny weather tomorrow to hunt. You and Renesmee especially". He shook his head exasperated. "Just because you have the best control of any of us besides Carlisle, doesn't mean you should push how long you go without hunting, you know".

"I know," I responded easily, "I just like to see what I'm capable of".

He shook his head, not happy with my answer. "We all know what you're capable of, Bella," he said gently, my favourite crooked smile on his face.

I smiled back and kissed him again. An annoyed growl sounded out side the door. I shot a questioning look at Edward, whose eyes were slightly unfocussed, listening to whatever thoughts were in said annoyed person's mind.

I hissed under my breath when he didn't answer immediately. "Well?" I asked at last.

"Alice," he said. Something about his tone told me this was not something I was going to enjoy. "She wants us to hurry up so she can get you dressed for school".

"Ugh," I complained, "why do I always have to be Guinea Pig Barbie? You would have thought getting to dress Renesmee all the time would be enough for her".

"She never puts up a fight, so why should you?" Alice asked innocently as she invited herself into our room. "Besides, it's you that really needs the help, what with your fashion sense. So come on, get out Edward and let me get to work".

I groaned again at her exuberance and I saw Edward shoot a warning glance at Alice as he left.

"Alice, is this really necessary?" I asked, pointlessly. There was never any point arguing with Alice, she always got what she wanted.

"Yes, it's really necessary," a shocked look on her face, she continued, "It's your first day as a junior; you need to set an example".

"An example of what exactly, Alice," I asked, already knowing she wouldn't answer. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing further.

It honestly wasn't so bad. I ended up with a dark blue blouse, Edward's favourite colour on me, and a knee length skirt in a slightly lighter shade. I had to hand to hand it to Alice, she really did know a lot about clothes.

Edward was waiting for me in the front room in the main house and I crossed straight to him and sat own in his lap. I barely noticed Emmett and Rosalie sat on the other couch.

He inclined his head to press his lips lightly to the top of my head. "You look gorgeous," he whispered, his breath caressing my face as he spoke.

"I love you," I replied.

"As I do you," he answered.

A deep chuckle distracted me, though I had no need to look up to know who had made the noise. "Go wrestle a bear, Emmett," I muttered.

"Testy, testy," he teased. There was a sharp smack and some muffled curses. "Oww," Emmett shouted, "Hey, what was that for?"

"You know what," Rosalie spat back.

Emmett grumbled once more then fell silent. Edward smirked, looking slightly smug at his brother.

Alice arrived then, towing an eager Renesmee behind her, with Jasper following slightly after. I gaped in amazement at how perfect my daughter looked. She was going to make a lot of boys envious that was for sure.

"You look amazing," Edward said, echoing my silent sentiments. I could only nod in agreement. Renesmee looked pleased; she cocked her head to the side and focused on him.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him roll his eyes. "Yes, Jacob will be here soon," Edward answered an unspoken thought. I could understand why Emmett found this so annoying.

Only a moment later the door opened and in came Jacob, fully clothed much to my surprise. Usually he didn't bother carrying around all his clothes when he phased. Then I realised that he hadn't phased at all, he had driven his new car here. Hmm, I wonder why I hadn't heard that.

"Hey there, Bells," he greeted, coming to stand by Renesmee's shoulder. "Wonderful," he commented as he took in her appearance.

Renesmee laughed; a pealing bell sound. "You can thank Alice for the dress," she said.

"Thanks, Alice," Jacob obliged playfully. Then he turned to a slightly more serious matter. "I came to ask if it would be alright for me to take Nessie to school".

I felt Edward shrug around me. "It's not really my decision, Jacob. If Ness - Renesmee wants to go, it's up to her".

Of course, Renesmee was delighted, so there would be no problem with that decision. I tried not to notice Edward's slip with our daughter's name; I still refused to call her 'Nessie'.

"Come on, come on," Alice said suddenly, "we don't want to be late for school".

"Like, we'd be late," Emmett gloated, receiving another smack from Rosalie, "Oww, quit that woman".

"What did you call me?" Rosalie hissed. Emmett looked suddenly nervous and made a quick exit out the front door with Rosalie close on his heels.

Jacob chuckled and Alice shot him an irritated glare, before turning on the rest of us. "Hurry _up_," she growled threateningly. We knew better than to push her.

Edward lifted me up and set me on my feet before taking hold of my hand and pulling me gently toward the door. Me, Edward, Alice and Jasper all got into Edward's Volvo, while Jacob and Renesmee got into Jacob's new, and somewhat improved, black Rabbit.

Rosalie and Emmett were already pulling out of the winding drive in Emmett's jeep. This was definitely going to be interesting.

Edward and I shared all the same lessons, so at least I had some company seeing as no humans would willingly choose to sit by any of us, except Renesmee. I never fully understood that, maybe it was because she was half human. Or maybe it was because people were always immediately taken with her.

We had trig just before lunch. I did not find this lesson particularly interesting and decided to try something. I carefully focussed on my book in front me and concentrated on pushing my shield away from me.

I had only done this on rare occasions, so it took some work, but finally I managed it. _Where are we hunting tomorrow?_ I asked Edward, pleased to see him jump in his seat. Not an easy thing to make Edward jump.

He turned to look at me incredulously. I shrugged, waiting for his answer. "Not far," he murmured, too low for any mortal to hear.

I frowned. _What are we hunting?_ I persisted, determined to get more of an answer.

Edward smirked, catching the annoyance in my thoughts. "Whatever we can find," he said, adding wryly, "we only have tomorrow, remember?"

I huffed, I did remember. "We could always skip school," I suggested.

His smile widened. "And set a bad example for our daughter?" he questioned. I wondered briefly if he enjoyed toying with me like this.

"Humph," I grunted, unamused by his sense of humour.

Alice met us in the hall after class and walked with us to the cafeteria. We gathered trays of food that wouldn't be eaten and went to our table, not speaking. The others met us there, except Renesmee and Jacob who sat at a table by themselves.

"So, did you have fun in Trig?" Alice asked casually.

I looked at her suspiciously, wondering why she would ask me this. Had she seen something in one of her visions? I didn't know what she would have seen, as far as I know nothing terribly exciting could possibly have happened.

"No," I answered carefully, watching her for any king of reaction.

She smiled innocently at my expression. Frowning again, I turned to look at Edward to ask what she was thinking, only to see the same innocent expression on his face. I growled under my breath.

"Nothing bad, honest," Alice placated me.

I could see there was no point in pressing for details so I let it be. "How was Renesmee's first day?" I asked instead.

Edward winced slightly and I was suddenly concerned. "She's attracted nearly as much attention as you did on your first day here," he said slowly, before suddenly smiling, "I think Jacob may have some competition".

I winced slightly as well. That was all they needed. Still Edward and Alice didn't seem worried about it so I guessed there was no trouble ahead for now.

Jacob met my gaze then, over the top of the sea of heads, and winked. I smiled back and wondered again if he should be pretending to be a junior when he looked more like a teacher. Oh well, no one seemed to question it at least.

Alice stiffened then, a look of panic flashed on her features briefly. "Hold your breath," she hissed to us quickly.

Automatically, I stopped breathing, though not before I caught the scent of fresh blood. The flames ripped down my throat, made worse because I hadn't hunted in so long and the thirst had been bothering me already. I groaned softly.

Edward squeezed my shoulder, not as a warning, but in sympathy and I heard his barely audible 'I told you so'. We glanced at the same time to Renesmee. She met our gaze, but didn't react in any way to the blood, though I knew she could smell it.

Her restraint was as good as Carlisle's so that even spilt blood did not concern her. Even though I had managed to pass over the newborn stage because of my control, when I was this thirsty even I did not know how I would react.

We watched as a girl hurriedly left the room, a tissue clamped over her nose. Nosebleed. Normally, that wouldn't be much of a problem for a mortal. It was only now, when there were so many vampires around, that it could be potentially life threatening.

I took in a breath, tasting. The scent was gone from the air now. The others began breathing too, a sense of relief at having survived that potentially disastrous situation. Yes, I would definitely need to hunt tomorrow, I thought, rubbing my throat.

"Are you OK?" Edward checked.

I nodded, looking up into his face. At that moment I felt a wave of burning desire crash over me. Jasper caught my mood immediately; he coughed loud enough to distract me.

Quickly, I looked down and if I had been human I would have been blushing right now. Emmett shook the table with his silent laughter and I scowled at him, promising revenge later. He wisely kept silent.

Last period biology breezed past swiftly and we all met up in the car park to pile into our designated cars and drive back to the house. Alice was focussed somewhere in the future ahead of us and was unconsciously rubbing her arm.

I was watching her, so I was the first one to see the frown mark appear between her eyes. "Alice?" I asked.

My tone must have caught his attention because Edward now turned to her, eyes unfocussed as he read her thoughts. His brow furrowed in confusion. "What was that, Alice? I didn't catch all of it".

Alice shook her head slowly from side to side. Jasper was watching her as well now and I wondered what emotions he was picking up from us, Alice especially.

"Nothing," she answered. I didn't know what she had seen, but I felt fairly certain that it was more than nothing. Alice sighed, "Will you please stop looking at me like that, Bella. I don't know what that was; at this moment it is nothing".

I knew how temperamental her ability could be. The future wasn't always set in stone.

Leah and Seth were waiting in their wolf forms when we got out of the car. Seth wined slightly when he saw Jacob get out of the car. Jacob looked at him once then disappeared into the forest to phase.

Seth looked at Edward, who responded with a slight nod. The other two wolves darted off after him, vanishing between the trees.

"What was that about?" I asked looking at Edward who was wearing that little frown again.

He looked down at me. "They found an unfamiliar vampire trail".

I stared confused, thinking through the meaning and implications of that simple statement. "Why did they wait for Jacob to get back before going after them?"

"Pack procedure. Jacob is the Alpha and as they had no idea if those vampires were friends they had to wait for his decision".

"What did Seth ask you?" I pressed for more information.

"If they should go and investigate," Edward said in his soft, velvet voice, "Don't worry, though, they're not going to attack, unless it becomes necessary. They just want to talk, if they can even find the vampires".

"What does that mean?" I whispered.

Edward smiled reassuringly. "The trail is quite old. The vampires responsible may be quite far away by now".

"Oh". There wasn't much more I could say about that. I just hoped the wolves would be careful. Rosalie and Emmett drove up then and we entered the house to be welcomed by Esme.

"How was your day," she asked, a ready smile on her heart shaped face.

I shrugged. "Just your average first day in high school," I joked. Beside me Edward chuckled.

"I don't know about anyone else," Renesmee said suddenly, "but I'm going to bed. You lot may not need sleep, but I do". She waved a cheerful goodnight and outside, off to our house.

"Should we follow?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

I leaned my head to the side as I considered, my eyes caught a familiar sight and I chose what I wanted to do tonight. "No, I'm thinking I want to hear you play for me".

Edward grinned, picking me up and seating me next to him on the bench behind his piano. His hands flew over the keys as they picked out a familiar melody. My lullaby. "It's perfect, Edward," I mumbled, snuggling into his side.

"I love you," he said.

"I know," I sighed back, contented. He chuckled against my side and I allowed my mind to drift with the flowing music.

-

Author's Note: Well here it is, my first chapter. Please, let me know what you think and if I should continue with this and I'll try to update soon. Bye for now!! :)


	3. 2 Hunting Trip

Not Enough

Chapter 2 – Hunting Trip

"Are you ready yet?" Edward's irritated voice called from outside our room.

"Give us a minute," Alice called cheerily back as she finished brushing my hair, pulling it into a tight plait.

I sighed as Edward began pacing impatiently in the hall. "Alice, do you need to do this?" I asked for the millionth time. "I mean, it's only going to get messed up when I hunt, isn't it?"

The pixie-like girl rolled her eyes and gave me a stern look. "Maybe you should learn to take more care with your kills then," she suggested.

I gave up after that; there wasn't much to argue with there, seeing as she had a point. "There, you're all done," she announced proudly.

"It's wonderful, Alice," I said as she brandished a mirror for me to look in. I was surprised to realise that I meant it, as well.

As soon as I could, I escaped from Alice and made a run into the forest. I was vaguely aware of Edward and Renesmee following behind me and slowed to allow them to catch up with me.

"Managed to get away from playing dress up, then?" Edward asked me, his dark eyes betraying the intense humour he found in my plight.

"So now you find it amusing, eh," I muttered. Renesmee was on my other side now, struggling to keep a straight face and not quite succeeding.

"Of course," he answered, not repentant at all.

A few miles away we found a herd of elk, perfectly easy prey; there was no thought in it. I took down a large buck and watched from the corner of my eye as both of the others followed my lead. I drained mine quickly and waited for the others to finish.

Edward came over to me and was about to say something when the wind suddenly shifted, blowing from the opposite direction.

We both froze automatically at the scent it carried. Renesmee immediately joined us, fully alert. Our eyes scanned the surrounding forest.

Another vampire was present.

"Whoever it is, they're moving away from us," Edward said warily, still focussed.

"Can you hear them?" I asked. He knew what I meant.

He was quiet for a time, listening to the thoughts of the other one. The scent was fainter now, definitely moving away, but I still didn't relax my defensive stance. Edward shook his head in frustration. "I can't hear properly, whoever it is, they're not thinking coherently".

This confused me. "Are they scared?" I really had to ask.

"I don't know," he said slowly, "maybe, but it's hard to be sure". He sighed then. "We could really use Jasper right now, he could probably make more sense of this than me," he thought aloud.

I nodded, remaining quiet. "We should go back," Edward decided, instantly turning and running back the way we had come. I guessed he didn't want to leave too many trails to follow.

Renesmee shot after him with me following up the rear. The family were already waiting for us when we arrived; they were all gathered in the front room.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked; a worried look on his usually calm features. "Alice saw something".

"Yes," Edward said, answering an unspoken thought. "We found a trail like the one the wolves followed yesterday: it was fresh," he paused, thinking, "I don't know if this means trouble for us, but I think we should be prepared in any case".

"Of course," Carlisle agreed easily.

I saw that Alice was sitting in the corner, back against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest. But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the way she was looking at me.

It made me think that she had seen something, something about me, something that wasn't good.

I felt a thrill of fear go through me and Jasper looked over to me with concern, though, thankfully, didn't ask questions. I looked to Edward and he was regarding Alice with a frustrated look.

"What is that, Alice?" he asked eventually.

Alice's eyes focussed on him suddenly and she shook her head slowly, as though trying to clear her head. "I don't know; it's not clear; something hasn't been decided". She was frowning as she spoke.

Her eyes briefly flickered to mine, before darting away again, so quickly I was sure no one else had seen.

The rest of the family were watching Edward carefully, obviously trying to decipher the silent conversation. Carlisle interrupted the silence by clearing his throat to gain attention.

"I think we should go and meet our visitor and see what we can find out," he suggested.

"He, or she, may also need dissuading from hunting in this area," Edward added, "I couldn't hear if they hunted humans or not, but it seems likely".

Carlisle turned to Alice then and asked, "Do you see if they will hunt or cause trouble?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I can't work her out; she makes no decisions so I can't see her properly. I _think_ she's trying to avoid hunting, but I have no idea how long she's going to be here or how long she can resist".

"She?" Carlisle pressed.

"Yes," Alice seemed happier to have a question she could answer, "That much I can see".

"How can someone go so long without making a decision?" Rosalie asked, sounding frustrated and annoyed, though I had no idea why.

"Her thoughts were scattered and incoherent when I heard her, so she's probably acting on instinct rather that conscious decision making," Edward answered.

"That makes sense," Carlisle agreed. "I think Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I should go to find her".

There were murmurs of consent from the others, until Alice suddenly jumped in between us all. "Alice," Edward practically growled at her, clearly warning her against whatever she had decided.

"It has to happen this way, Edward," she said impatiently, "Bella and Renesmee need to come with you". She turned to the rest of the group as she said the last part.

"What?!" Emmett, Esme and Rosalie shouted together. Edward growled slightly, Jasper looked concerned and Renesmee and I were both just shocked. Carlisle was the only one who remained composed.

"Why, Alice?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know," Alice snapped, "I just know they have to be there, I don't know why". More quietly she continued, "I can't see far enough ahead to see that".

"It's OK, Alice," Jasper soothed, coming behind her to wrap his arms around her. "It will work out eventually". She leaned into his embrace and sighed again.

"Alright," the change in Carlisle's tone brought our attention to him once more. "Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Bella and Renesmee," he looked to each of us as he called our names, "We'll stick together in one group; we don't know what our visitor is capable of".

Our expedition group moved to the door while Esme, Alice and Rosalie waited on the couches. Alice was watching me with the same uncertain expression and I gulped, quickly turning away. I didn't like to think what that look meant.

"I'll call if I see anything else," Alice promised us.

"Let the wolves know where we are when they get back," Carlisle told her. She nodded. Satisfied, our group turned and raced into the forest, ready to face whatever stranger had come to Forks.

-

Author's Note: Shorter chapter than last time, I know, sorry. Please, please let me know what you think to this, I need a bit of encouragement to keep writing this. Hopefully I'll have a new chapter posted soon, so review and feel free to praise as much as you want (hint, hint ;) ... Bye for now! :)


	4. 3 Newborn

Not Enough

Chapter 3 – Newborn

Edward was clearly not happy about my accompanying them. I knew it was just because he worried about me and didn't want me put in any danger, but I couldn't help feeling annoyed by it. I could look after myself.

I thought over what Alice had said to us before we left. Why had she said that Renesmee and I had to come? What were we needed for?

I could only assume it had something to do with our abilities. My shield would obviously come in handy of this other vampire had an ability as well, but I didn't see why we would need Renesmee's gift.

"Edward," I called to him as we ran side by side. He turned his head in my direction slightly so I knew I had his attention. "I don't know why Alice asked me to come, but I think it might be safer if I put my shield out".

He deliberated for a moment. "That would make sense," he said slowly.

There was something in the way he said that, that made me think there was more to why I had to be here. Had he understood more of what he heard from Alice than he let on? I didn't think so, but maybe he had some suspicions.

I sighed. If he wanted to tell me, he would tell me when he was ready. It didn't stop me feeling left out, though.

I slowed slightly as I concentrated on pushing my shield out, keeping it as tight as possible around our group as we moved swiftly and silently through the woods. It was more difficult to do while we were moving, but I managed to do it. I would have to keep an eye out if anyone strayed out from my protection so I could adjust the shield.

We reached the part where the three of us had hunted earlier and quickly caught the scent of our visitor. The trail she left was confusing, darting first one way, then another, as though she were trying to avoid something.

For all we knew, she was.

"Not far now," Edward murmured suddenly. I looked to him, but he was focussed ahead of us.

Carlisle fell back to run next to us. "Do you hear her?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes," Edward answered, pausing again to listen to the other vampires thoughts. "She's thirsty," he finally added, grimly. Neither Carlisle nor I missed the glance he shot in Renesmee's direction.

The doctor looked distinctly horrified at that thought. "But surely she couldn't be thirsty enough to try that," he said hoarsely.

Edward's answering grimace was more than enough to confirm his suspicions. "Maybe we should send her back," Carlisle suggested.

"No," he said, understandingly reluctant. "Alice said she needed to be here. No matter the risks it has always been in everyone's best interest to do as she says," he explained, "I believe she knows what's best here and I trust her".

"Of course," Carlisle agreed.

We saw her then. The vampire was crumpled on the floor in a clearing further ahead; she seemed unaware of our presence. Edward and Carlisle stopped and the rest of us gathered around them.

"What is she doing?" Emmett wondered. Almost simultaneously, we all turned to look at Edward, who had a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't know," he answered, rather unhelpfully. The frustration was clearly evident in our little group; none of us knew what to expect.

"We need to find out why she is here," Carlisle broke the silence decisively, "Therefore we must talk to her". He turned to meet each of our gazes head on. "Be on your guard," he warned.

His warning was unnecessary as we all tense and wary as it was. Still, we followed his lead as he approached the strange vampire.

The moment we entered the clearing the other female snapped her head up, immediately coming to attention. She jerked up into a defensive crouch, eyes flickering from one of us to another.

Carlisle stepped forward alone; Jasper and Emmett close by if needed. "Hello," he greeted politely, "My name is Carlisle Cullen".

The other vampire didn't respond, but we could all see that she had focussed on him. It was then that I saw something that made me freeze. Her eyes were an impossibly bright red colour and that could mean only one thing.

She was a newborn.

I wasn't the only one to notice. I could see Jasper tensing suddenly and leaning forward. Edward looked to him, read his thoughts quickly and mirrored his stance.

Carlisle held his hand up slightly, communicating silently with them. I saw them relax minutely, but they remained completely alert.

"What's your name?" Carlisle asked; still calm and friendly.

She was still hesitant and her eyes looked over the rest of us before she answered, but at last she said in small, unsure voice, "Amile. My name's Amile".

Carlisle smiled gently, pleased she was now somewhat talking. "Amile," he echoed, "How old are you?" That seemed to be the most important question to have answered. She seemed confused by that so he expanded, "How long since you were created?"

"Oh," her confusion cleared, though she now frowned thoughtfully. "Um, four months, I think," Amile said.

Shock coursed through me and I knew the others felt the same. She was so young; I couldn't understand why such a young newborn was wandering around on her own.

"Do you have a coven?" Edward asked this time.

I didn't expect her reaction. Fear flashed across her face and her eyes widened. Jasper tensed again, apparently anticipating an attack. "N-no," she stuttered. She looked imploringly at us, Carlisle in particular, "Please, you can't let them take me".

I frowned and looked to question Edward and was surprised by the suddenly furious look on his face, I wondered what he had seen in her thoughts to provoke that.

Carlisle moved carefully forward again, his movements being tracked by Amile's still cautious eyes. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, keeping his tone polite, but still curious.

"They made me," Amile began, "They thought I would be special. I'm not; I can't do anything at all! It didn't matter to them; they wanted me to join them. I couldn't – I can't," she stopped again.

"Why not?" Edward inquired gently, though I was sure he already knew, I guess he wanted her to say it rather than tell us himself.

Amile turned to him then. She was noticeably reluctant to answer and I wondered why. "I – I don't want to be a monster," she paused to watch each of us individually and I wondered what she thought of us. "They tried to make feed…on humans…but I couldn't. I escaped from them, but they've been following me".

"You haven't hunted at all, have you?" Jasper spoke suddenly.

"Not at all, since you were created?" Carlisle voiced all of our surprise at Jasper's assumption.

Amile took in our expressions, confusion mingled with horror in her bright eyes. "How could I?" she said, "I don't want to hurt anyone, I couldn't do that".

I studied Carlisle. He was obviously impressed with her restraint; it reminded me of his reaction to me when I was born. Maybe that was why Alice had said I needed to be here. I quickly dismissed that idea, it didn't make any sense.

Renesmee took advantage of everyone's fascination with the newborn, to lightly skip forward towards her. After our initial shock, Edward snarled under his breath and snatched her hand at the same time that I guessed why she had to be here.

Quickly, I grabbed his arm and pulled his away from our daughter. He turned to face me with a combination of surprise, hurt and confusion on his face. "Alice," I said, knowing he would understand my meaning behind her name.

He did. He nodded infinitesimally before warning Jasper and Emmett, who had been about to stop her as well, to let her go. They both looked at us horrified, especially Jasper who knew the dangers of a newborn and a thirsty one at that.

"Have you lost you minds?" Emmett asked, outraged.

"No," I said, "This needs to happen; I don't know why and neither did Alice, but I'm sure this is why she was needed here".

The others didn't argue with me after that; they knew enough to trust Alice, the question was, was trust going to be enough? It was going to have to be.

Amile had watched our exchange with a cross between confusion and amusement. Then the wind shifted. The newborn's eyes widened as she caught the scent of Renesmee's scent and we all tensed again, but didn't move.

"Please," she pleaded, looking desperately from Renesmee to us and back again. "Please, I don't want to hurt you".

"She smells her blood?" I asked Edward softly, though I knew the answer.

He dipped his head. "It's not quite as appealing as human blood, but she's thirsty enough that it burns her throat," he extended brusquely. I knew he was worried.

"It's OK," Renesmee reassured her, "I know you won't hurt me. Please, I want to show you something".

Amile slowly approached to meet her halfway and Renesmee stretched her hand out to press it lightly against her cheek. Her eyes widened again as she saw whatever images Renesmee was showing her.

I waited, unreasonably impatient with the silent conversation, for the two to part. "You see now?" Renesmee asked, hopefully I thought.

The newborn nodded slowly, probably still trying to absorb the information given her, I assumed. "You can live like that?" she asked. She looked delighted when her question was confirmed.

"She showed her how we survive, hunting animals, I mean," Edward answered some unspoken question.

I saw Carlisle acknowledge with a thoughtful nod. Amile faced the rest of our group, a timid smile touching the edges of her mouth. "Would you like to join us at our house, where we can talk more comfortably?" Carlisle offered.

"I…would like that very much, please," Amile responded. She seemed unsure of herself, but determined.

I had so many questions buzzing around in my head; it was hard to know where to start. Who was she? How had she come to be here? Who were the vampires who created her? Why was she so afraid of them – enough to run from them? And, probably most important of all – what did this have to do with Alice's vision?

They would be answered soon, I thought, as we turned and ran back to the house. Carlisle, Edward and me leading, Amile behind us and Emmett, Jasper and Renesmee were following up the rear.

* * * *

**Author's Note: Well, what do you think? Please, let me know, I'm not getting much encouragement on this story. So, why do you think Amile is afraid of her coven finding her? What do you think will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!! Review please and bye for now!! ;)**


	5. 4 Answers and Explanations

**Not Enough**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Edward - Can we just get this over with?**

**Me - Why, don't you like me?**

**Edward - ...No**

**Me - *Sniffles* Why not?**

**Edward - Ugh, because you don't stop thinking about me, that's why!**

**Me - Don't you want me? *Tries to be seductive (FAILS)***

**Edward - For the last time, NO!! Now just say it so I can leave.**

**Me - Okay *sighs* Sadly, I don't own Twilight :{**

**Me - *Turns hopeful* Can I keep you now?**

**Edward - .....................................................................................................**

**Me - *Cries* I can't believe he ran away from me!!**

**Sorry, randomness!! ;D**

* * *

Chapter 4 - Answers and Explanations

When we finally made it back home, Amile was almost immediately set upon by Alice, who charged out of the house, completely oblivious to our warning glares, and enveloped her in a huge hug.

Jasper, however, was quick to pull her away. "Alice," he said, exasperated. "You should know better than to move so suddenly with a newborn; you never know when they will attack".

Alice laughed quietly. "Silly, Jasper," she whispered back, "Don't you think I would have seen if she were going to attack me?"

He didn't answer, but I could tell he still wasn't happy. Amile seemed to be embarrassed at finding her self the centre of attention, but she followed us without complaint into the front room.

Esme and Rosalie were there waiting for us. Alice and Jasper sat next to them; the rest of us settled where we could find space. Carlisle placed himself opposite Amile and was leaning forward eagerly.

"So," he began, "Tell us about yourself. Your life before you was changed".

"Not much to tell, really," she mumbled, refusing to make eye contact, "I was 15, living with my mom and sister in Washington D.C. I went out one night; I'd had an argument with my mom and couldn't stand to be in our flat anymore. But I got lost and it was so very dark". Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

"There were three of them, two female, one male," she continued, "They were just standing there and I could hear them muttering. 'So much potential' the male said, 'We should change her, can't waste such prospective talent'.

"I didn't know what they were talking about, but they made me nervous. I tried to run. Then they were in front of me, the male held me so I could barely even move. The two females were talking now. 'Maybe you should do it' the shorter one said, 'I don't trust myself enough to try'.

"The taller one stepped up to me, then there was so much burning and everything went black," Amile trailed off, still not looking up at anyone to see the compassionate looks we were giving her.

"And after you woke up?" Carlisle probed.

Amile shuddered lightly and took a deep breath. "That wasn't much better either, everything was so new and confusing and I still didn't know what was going on. They explained to me what I was, what they had made me into.

"At first I was kind of OK with it; it wasn't like I was going to miss anything from my life. That was when they wanted me to…feed," Amile stumbled over the word, "It was hard…for me to resist, but I did. When I looked into the face of the woman they had brought me, I knew I couldn't be a killer.

"They weren't…happy". Edward hissed sharply, making her jump and Jasper edge forward on his seat. I felt the effects of the calming waves he was sending out.

Everyone had looked to Edward now, wondering at his reaction. Carlisle was the first to turn back to Amile, asking quietly, "What did they do?"

She met his gaze for a while, before looking down again and answering. "One of the females, I think her name was Zoë, she has this…ability," Amile visibly swallowed. Edward was still scowling, so I knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Well come on, what can she do?" Emmett burst out impatiently.

"Emmett!" Rosalie admonished, "Don't be so rude, just let her tell the story in her own time". He mumbled a quiet 'sorry' and gestured for Amile to carry on.

Amile smile a quick thanks to Rose. "I don't know how her power works, but she causes extreme pain," she shuddered again and I guessed she had experienced that first hand. "She only has to touch you once and after that she doesn't control it. It just has to burn its way out of you and it can last for hours. Even after it's stopped you can't move for ages, it's like it drains all of your energy".

We exchanged concerned looks at that. Zoë's power was not one you wanted to experience by the sounds of it, and Amile had said her coven was chasing her. If they came here, it was likely to lead to a fight.

"What about after that," Edward asked softly, "You said you escaped?"

"It took me a few tries," she responded slowly, "Like I said, they wanted to keep me. The first few times, Zoë managed to incapacitate me, but the fourth time I was unbelievably lucky.

"Usually, when they hunt they make sure one of them is there to watch me. This time however, they all desperately needed to hunt, so when the other two left and Zoë was left with me, she used her power, assuming I would remain where I was for a few hours at least so she could hunt.

"I don't know what happened but after only a half hour, the pain was gone. I was still weak, but now aware enough to recognise my chance to escape, so I ran and kept on running. I wasn't really going anywhere, just avoiding people and other vampires".

I looked at the others, trying to gauge their reactions to Amile's story. Carlisle was nodding, Esme looked about ready to cry, Rosalie was indifferent, of course, and Alice and Edward were looking at her with sympathy. Emmett I honestly couldn't tell from his expression, it looked like he had his poker face on. Jasper was easy to tell. He didn't trust her. At all.

I couldn't blame him, really, considering his past experiences with newborns.

Amile seemed to realise what Jasper was thinking as well, for she shifted uncomfortably and avoided his suspicious and wary glares. Carlisle had apparently thought of another reason for her discomfort, for he suddenly said, "Alice? Rosalie? Emmett? Esme? Why don't you take Amile out hunting? You can show her the best animals to hunt".

Jasper definitely did not like the idea of Alice going with Amile. He looked about ready to stand up and argue with anyone who stood in his way. Edward shook his head slightly at him, a warning glint in his eyes. He hesitated, but Edward repeated his actions and Jasper forced himself to stay where he was.

I felt sorry for him; I knew all about the instinct to protect your mate and he must have felt completely helpless, knowing there was no way he could protect her if something went wrong.

Alice bounced over to Amile, who, in turn, rose to meet her, casting anxious glances at Jasper. He sighed and nodded slightly in encouragement. Alice turned to beam at him over her shoulder. "Thanks, Jazz," she whispered.

The newborn still hesitated, though. Poor girl, she must have been really scared of Jasper's reaction to her. Alice, sensing she needed more assurance, slowly extended her hand to clasp hold of one of her own.

"Let's go!" Emmett boomed cheerfully before dashing out the back door. Rosalie shook her head playfully and followed, with Alice tugging a still reluctant Amile after her.

As soon as there was no sound of their movements, Jasper exploded. "Why should we trust her? She could be a danger to us all," he shouted.

"We have no reason not to trust her, Jasper," Carlisle said calmly. "And until such time, she shall be treated like a guest and given care here, with us".

"But, Carlisle, the risk," Jasper protested.

"It is minimal, Jasper," Carlisle answered smoothly, "Besides, we have plenty of experience looking after newborns, we will be able to handle her, should she lose control".

"And we will have pre-warning if something were going to happen," Edward pitched in. Jasper looked at him as if he'd been betrayed. Edward sighed. "Look, Jasper, I don't like the danger of having her here, either, but we can hardly throw her out, now, can we? What will the risk of that be, especially when she is being hunted?"

Jasper's scowl darkened at his words. "That's exactly my point, Edward. She is bringing trouble to us with her very presence here," he argued again.

"They will come whether she is here or not," Carlisle interjected then. We all turned to face him. "Think about it, her scent leads here so surely they will follow. And if Amile is here, then we will be able to deal with the problem ourselves, rather than allow them to continue to cause trouble".

"I agree," I said, earning myself a withering look from Edward and narrowed eyes from Jasper. "I trust her. I mean, why would she lie? Not to mention that she needs help. If they catch her again, do you really think she would get away a second time?"

Edward sighed again. "You're right, we can't let her wonder off, but that doesn't mean we have to trust her," he shot a glare in my direction; "she will be watched closely".

"Whether you trust her or not is up to you, but I do," I said forcefully, "And she will be staying here".

Jasper hissed at me in annoyance and Edward glared at him in my defence. "She has a point and you know it, Jasper," Edward growled back at him.

Jasper actually looked pained and I didn't have to have Edward's ability to know that his thoughts had returned to his need to protect Alice. "I know, Jasper, believe me, I know," his eyes flashed in my direction and I knew we all caught the hidden meaning in his statement.

"Like Edward has said, she will be watched," Carlisle added after a few moments, "And maybe she will earn our trust. But she needs help and it's the least we can offer her". His tone held a hint of finality.

Both Edward and Jasper quickly relented.

Less than ten minutes after this discussion ended, a furious Jacob burst through the door and into the front room. We could see Seth and Leah standing uncomfortably in the doorway.

"What was the idea, running off to meet a foreign vampire, not to mention bringing Nessie with you," he raged.

"Calm down, Jacob, Nessie was never in any danger with us," Carlisle quickly assured, keeping his ever calm appearance.

"You couldn't have known that," Jacob countered.

"Do you really think we would have let anything happen to her?" Edward hissed, cutting in before Carlisle could say anything.

Jacob's hands were starting to shake as he turned to Edward. "Jacob, please," I begged. He turned to glower at me instead. "Jake, Renesmee is our daughter and we love her too, we wouldn't have let anything harm her," I tried to reason, eyeing his vibrating hands nervously.

Jake took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself; it seemed to work and the shaking subsided. "I know, Bells, I know," he sighed, "Some pre-notice would have been nice, though".

"I know," I murmured, "I am sorry about that. You were out so we asked Alice to leave you a message". I looked down, ashamed for having worried him like that. Edward came to stand next to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I smiled up at him then I turned back to Jacob as he spoke again. "It's OK, Bella, I forgive you," he said, earnestly. "I know you'll do what's best for her".

I knew it couldn't have been easy for him to admit that so I beamed back at him. "Thank you, Jake," I whispered. And I was really grateful he wasn't angry anymore; he was still family and I still cared about him. I didn't want to see him hurt.

"Still here you know," Renesmee complained. Jake and I grinned sheepishly at her and she smiled back. "Though now I'm going to bed. See you!" She dashed off upstairs to her other room there and as I turned I caught Edward looking pointedly after her and I guessed he had hinted for her to go to sleep.

"So, back to Amile," I began, desperate for a topic change, "Do you think she's got a gift?"

"It is possible I guess," Carlisle considered, "Though it would be difficult to determine that as she is unaware of it herself".

"And it would be better if it stayed that way," Jasper muttered under his breath, probably hoping we wouldn't hear him or at least not pay attention to him.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded, feeling suddenly and inexplicably angered by his words as my protective nature reared its head. He could hear that in my voice as well as sense my emotions.

His eyes narrowed in my direction. "What I mean, is that a newborn is dangerous enough, whereas a newborn with an ability they cannot control would be even more dangerous". What he said was reasonable enough, I should've considered myself. However, when I remembered that I had been a newborn with a gift it made me upset.

Jasper was watching me and from his next words I figured he had been tasting my emotions with his curious talent. He sighed heavily. "I didn't mean it that way, Bella," he said, his tone now much softer as he sent me a calming wave, "Every case is unique".

"So why must you believe that of Amile, if every case is unique?" I mumbled, turning my face slightly into Edward as he held me.

"Let's drop this now," Carlisle suggested, "We're not going to get anywhere with this conversation, it would be better if we just make our own observations and judgements as and when necessary".

I agreed, knowing that he spoke the truth; there was going to be no way to convince the others until they had seen proof of Amile's nature with their own eyes. I dragged Edward over to the sofa and we waited there for the rest to return.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well here is the next chapter. I hope this helps you to understand Amile a bit better, I'll be including more of her past in a later chapter, but this pretty much sums it all up. Thank you to anyone still following this story, if possible I would like 10 reviews before I post the next chapter ;). It will get more exciting later, I promise, but it's taking a while to warm up to it, so BE PATIENT ;). Thanks again for sticking with me, I'll try to update as soon as I can. So bye for now!! ;) Also note: I actually added a disclaimer this time!! Not that anyone really needs it ;D**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**animal8 xx**


	6. 5 Learning to Trust

**Not Enough**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Alice: Must we repeat this?**

**Me: Of course!! Where would the fun be otherwise?**

**Alice: *vicious snarl***

**Me: Hey, hey. *Backs away with hands raised* Just take it easy now.**

**Alice: Then say it *Smirks smugly***

**Me: FINE!! *Cue dramatic sigh* As everyong should already know, I do not own Twilight. However, I do own this plot and some of the characters!! Yay for me!! ;D**

Chapter 5 – Learning to Trust

Nearly three hours later, Edward announced the arrival of the hunting group. Almost immediately, Jasper darted out the door to wait for Alice. I would've rolled my eyes if I hadn't understood how he felt.

Amile was in the middle of the group again, Emmett and Rosalie in front, Esme by her side and Alice and Jasper behind. She was obviously still wary of Jasper; she was constantly glancing towards him.

Carlisle turned to face our guest as the group settled in the front room. "So, Amile, what do you think of our diet?" he asked, a kindly expression on his face.

The young vampire glanced around at us and shuffled in place where she sat on the carpet in front of us. "It's…interesting," she seemed to struggle to describe what it was like. "I would very much like to continue it…though I might need some help".

She must be quite an independent person because she didn't like to admit that she needed help. Edward nodded thoughtfully as I lowered my shield to share my observation with him. He gave me pointed look and I guessed he was remembering what I was like, still am, sometimes, when I was human.

"Of course," Carlisle said understandingly.

"You're more than welcome to stay here, Amile," Esme added, gesturing to the house surrounding us.

Amile looked surprised at the offer. "I don't want to cause any trouble to anyone," she said warily, talking to everyone, though her gaze lingered on Jasper.

Jasper smiled gently to her, saying, "It's fine, really. You'll be safer here, than out there. We don't want to get hurt by _them_". There was no need for him to say who, we all knew. Alice grinned at him gratefully, before turning to beam at Amile.

I grimaced; I knew that look all too well. "Looks like she's found another victim to play Barbie with," I muttered sourly, causing Emmett to guffaw and Jasper and Edward to smother giggles.

Alice turned to glare at me then faced Amile who was now looking confused and slightly worried at my comment. "Pay no attention to her," she said playfully, "Bella just doesn't know a good thing when she sees one".

"Hey," I protested, "I do too".

The little pixie glowered at me again. Jasper beside her, chuckled. "Give it up, Bella. You know you won't win against her". I sighed. He was right and I knew it; she was a force of nature.

Edward wrapped his arm around me and squeezed comfortingly. My shield was still down so I thought to him, _thank you_. "You're welcome," he whispered back.

Emmett huffed in frustration. "Stupid silent conversations," he mumbled.

"Ahem," Alice called attention back to herself. "Back to the matter at hand, please?"

"And what matter would that be, Alice?" Jasper said sounding dryly humoured at his wife's behaviour.

Alice beamed at Amile. "Shopping, of course," she chirped.

Poor Amile was looking even more lost as she followed our strange series of conversations. "Shopping?" she questioned.

"Yep," Alice confirmed enthusiastically. "You're going to need a full wardrobe, as I'm guessing you only have the clothes you're wearing now?"

Amile looked at the ground, embarrassed. If she were human, she would probably be blushing. "Yes," she answered meekly. "Something tells me it won't be a great idea for me to go to a mall, though," she said bitterly, still not facing anyone.

Alice waved her hand dismissively. "I can get stuff for you; I know what you'll look good in," she resolved. Then her grin turned devilish and I found myself worrying as she glanced at me. "Plus, I'll have Bella there to help me".

My eyes widened. "No, Alice," I said bluntly.

"Please, Bella?" she begged me. "Besides, I need to get you some new clothes as well. I can see a nice blouse that you'll like," she continued as though that made any difference to me.

I groaned. "Alice, I've barely had _these_ clothes," I indicated the clothes I was wearing and waved a hand in the general direction of my closet, "for a few weeks. Do we really need to go again?"

"Absolutely". Stupid question.

As Jasper said before, there was no way I was going to win against Alice. I sighed; it was so unfair. "You're not going to give me a choice anyway," I grumbled.

She smiled happily. "Wise choice," she congratulated.

I grimaced again. "Relax, love," Edward whispered into my ear, "It won't be that bad and your life will be easier for it". _Yeah, because if I don't go; I get an extremely angry pixie on my case._ I felt his laughter rumble against my neck and I shivered.

"Esme, why don't you show Amile around the house," Alice suggested, "You can show her the room where she'll be staying as well".

"Good idea," Esme said as she stood up. "Why don't you follow me, dear?"

Amile seemed to light up at the term of endearment from Esme. She rose gracefully and followed Esme out the door. Just as she left the room she turned and gave Jasper a shy smile which he eagerly returned.

I lifted an eyebrow at his sudden attitude change towards Amile. He shrugged and said, too low for any vampires to hear upstairs, "She deserves a chance". That was all the explanation required.

Alice bounded to my side then, grabbed my hand and started towing me to the door. "We'll be back later," she called over her shoulder as she pulled out the front door.

* * *

(AmPOV)

I followed Esme up the stairs at human pace. I guessed they were being careful with me, but I was so thankful that they'd been so kind to me so far. I'd not even known them that long.

Jasper seemed to be a little friendlier towards me than before, he'd been so hostile earlier that I had wondered whether I would be safe here. Of course then I felt guilty for thinking that as they didn't have to help me in the first place and they said they wanted to help me.

Carlisle especially I was grateful to as he had shown me a way to live where I didn't have to be a monster. I was honestly curious to learn more about this family, they already knew quite a bit about me as it is, but I wasn't sure if I was willing to tell them about my human life yet.

It wasn't something I liked to talk to people about, even then. Let's just say that my mother could be a difficult person to live with, not to mention the other people I had had in my life. I hid a grimace at that thought.

"Here we are then," Esme's gentle, caring voice brought me out of my unpleasant reverie. I looked up to see we were standing in the doorway to a spare room on the third floor of the house.

The room could only be described as perfect. Pale yellow walls, cream carpet and an oak writing desk against one wall. The bed was in the centre, covered in pale, pastel coloured bed sheets. But what really caught my attention was the window. It covered one side of the room and had an amazing view of the surrounding forest.

Silence surrounded us for a moment before I remembered that I wasn't alone and that Esme was waiting for me to say something. I turned to look at her and I was sure that my awe was evident on my face. "Thank you so much, Esme," I told her sincerely, "This room is perfect".

She beamed at me. "I'm glad you like it," she moved to the door, "Feel free to move around as you like. And tell one of us if you need to hunt again; we'd be more than happy to come with you". She smiled at me one last time before leaving and going back downstairs.

I sighed and sat down on the bed. They were doing so much for me already and yet they were willing to give up their free time to hunt with me? There were no words to describe the amount of gratitude I felt towards them.

I'd like to say it wasn't necessary, but I knew it was. After all, I didn't want to slip up and hurt anyone if there were any unfortunate humans wandering in the woods while I hunted. At least if they came with me, they could stop me. I didn't want to be a monster.

Amazingly part of me was glad that I wasn't fit to go out in a crowd of humans, because I wouldn't have to endure Alice's shopping. I shuddered. I always hated shopping, unless I was with my sister. Nothing was bad so long as I was with her. We were twins, actually, nothing alike but we completed each other.

As I thought of that, I wondered how I was going to cope without her. I didn't know how long I was sat there, but suddenly Bella was standing in the doorway; I hadn't even realised she'd come home.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

I noticed for the first time that I was sobbing tearless sobs. All I could do was shake my head. As much as I wanted to deny it, it was obvious from my foetal position on the bed and my expression that I wasn't.

Bella sat on the bed next to me and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer. "Shh…it's alright," she comforted as she began rocking me slowly, "Don't cry. You're alright".

_But it's not alright,_ I thought, _how could it be alright?_ But I stopped crying, closing my eyes as I let Bella comfort me.

It was strange having someone else holding me. Usually my sister would do this, but for some reason it felt _right_ having Bella here at this moment.

Soon I was calm enough to pull myself from her warm embrace. I smiled timidly at her, hating that she had seen me at my weakest. "Thanks," I said quietly.

She smiled back. "It's okay," she replied, but she was looking at me curiously and I guessed what she was going to ask, though I hoped she wouldn't. "So, what was wrong?" she asked, yep she did. "You don't have to tell me," she added quickly, probably seeing my expression.

I breathed out. I wanted to tell her, tell all of them. But I didn't think I could handle it just yet. "I want to tell you," I whispered, not facing her any more, "But I can't; not right now".

Thankfully, Bella understood that I wasn't capable of talking about it now. "Whenever you're ready, we'll listen," she let me know.

"Thank you," I said again. I shifted nervously, feeling rude for what I was about to ask. "Do you…uh…mind if I can be alone, please?" I asked shakily, "I need to think".

She nodded and gave me a final hug before leaving my room and closing the door softly behind her. It felt weird to describe this as my room, but I guess it was now, now that I was staying with the Cullens.

I lay back on my bed and immersed myself in thoughts of my previous life: my sister, my few friends, even my mother. The sun set and I was still lying there. I knew if anyone wanted to talk to me, they'd come up here, so I was content to spend the rest of the night like this.

* * *

**Author's Note: Woo another chapter!! This is a Christmas Eve treat for you all!! I revealed a little more of Amile's history in this, but there will be more pieces coming soon! ;D. I'm really enjoying this story and have a few chapters written now, though I shan't be posting them, until people review more :{. Please, guys, it means so much to me and I really need a pick me up. But don't fear, you won't hear the last of me ;D. I have plenty of story ideas to keep you all entertained. Please, keep reading, I have now got over a 200 hits on this! And I promise as well, it will get more exciting, well at least I think it's exciting, you'll have to let me know when we get there!! ;D.**

**Plus, I am actually writing another story called Black Moon, but I'm not entirely sure when I'll start to post that, probably after this, but I'm going through a major low with my writing and I can't do _anything_ on any of my stories :{. I will do my best though to keep you all updated.**

**Many thanks to all those who read my story, even if you don't bother to review ;D. Any support is majorly appreciated, so thanks also to all of my wonderful reviewers (as few as you are). Hope to hear from you soon!**

**P~L~E~A~S~E~R~E~V~I~E~W**

**animal8 xx ;D**


	7. 6 Shopping and Comfort

**Not Enough**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, however that won't stop me from using them for my own purposes ;D. Just kidding...

* * *

Chapter 6 – Shopping and Comfort (BPOV)

Alice was enthusiastically buzzing around the shops, randomly picking up stuff and either dismissing it or adding it to the already humungous pile at my feet.

"Do you think she'll like this?" she asked me, flitting back to my side and showing off a deep purple top that was lightly trimmed with frilly edges on the bottom and the ends of the long sleeves. "I can see that this purple will be really good on her," Alice was now bouncing rapidly as she waited for what I had to say.

"I think she'll love it," I told her truthfully. It _was_ a very good top, not plain but at the same time not too stylish. I really did think it would suit her.

Something else must've caught Alice's attention, as she dropped the top she was holding on the top of the pile and raced off again. "Ooh, how about this?" she now came back with a black skirt that would hang down to her calves.

I eyed the piece of clothing shrewdly. "I really don't think she's a skirt person, Alice," I warned her half heartedly; what Alice wants, Alice gets.

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, I know," she said dryly, "She's too much like you".

That made me frown, "Should I be offended by that?" I asked cautiously, not knowing if I wanted to hear the answer.

She beamed at me reassuringly. "Nope, just stating the facts," then she impatiently waved the skirt to get my opinion, "Now what do you think?"

"I like it," I said simply, "It goes well with the top and knowing you, you'll be able to persuade her to wear it". A smile graced my lips at that comment and Alice smirked smugly back.

"I think that's enough for now," she announced, eyeing the pile critically before nodding, satisfied. "I'll go pay for these and then in the next store, I'm getting you some new clothes," she narrowed her eyes, almost daring me to argue with her, "And don't even think of running; remember, I'll see if you do".

With a last warning finger pointed at me, she dashed to the cashier, nearly frightening the life out of her. I sighed, sometimes I just wished she would slow down, hmm, maybe Jasper could…I cut that thought off as I saw the murderous, black-eyed glare Alice was sending my way as she saw my decision.

I smiled apologetically and she relaxed and grinned. Part of me knew I was still going to regret even considering that idea. I might want to avoid Alice's insane shopping trips for awhile.

"All done," Alice chirped as she bounded to a stop in front of me. "Come on, this next shop has that blouse I was talking about," she carried on nattering and I phased out a bit, only vaguely listening to what she was talking about.

I watched across the street as a woman tried to encourage two reluctant toddlers to follow her. They were obviously tired and consequently grumpy. Briefly I wondered what it would have been like to have human children, but in my heart I knew I would never make a different decision in my life. Nothing was more important to me than Edward and Renesmee.

"…so then you and I can come shopping next week," Alice finished, with me only just catching the last words. I spun around in shock and stared at her. What had she been talking about? Alice rolled eyes and 'tutted'. "Honestly, Bella, didn't you listen to a word a just said?"

I looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, Alice," I mumbled.

She sighed. "I said…" she stopped, staring blankly ahead. Almost as soon as it happened she had snapped out of it and pursed her lips deciding. "We should go back; we can get the blouse when we come next week".

"And remind me why we are coming next week," I asked as I followed her back to her Porsche.

"Because," she enunciated slowly, "We only have half the wardrobe for Amile, so we need to get the rest". Ugh, how could she be so cheerful about _shopping_? I had no clue.

I was dragged back to the car, laden with half the bags, while Alice carried the rest. I watched her suspiciously as we pulled out of the parking lot. She _never_, and I mean _never_, pulled out of a shopping trip so suddenly.

Hmm, maybe it was to do with her last vision? I decided to ask. "Alice, what did you see?" I said, trying not to sound concerned.

She shrugged. "Nothing much, just that we need to get back now," she answered too innocently. I considered asking again when she sighed and turned to look at me. "Trust me; you'll see when we get back. Don't ask again, please," she said sternly.

I wisely kept silent; I didn't want to have angry pixie on my case, though I still couldn't help but wonder what would cause her to decide to come home like that.

The family was sitting in the front room when we arrived back. I looked around, somewhat confused as to what was going on before finally turning a questioning look to Alice.

"Upstairs," she answered. Frowning in annoyance at her vague response, I listened. There was a faint sound of muffled sobbing that I guessed was coming from Amile. I felt my frown deepen in concern.

"What's she thinking about?" I asked Edward, but facing in the direction of the staircase.

He hesitated, probably uncertain of betraying her confidence. "Her family," he said eventually, his voice a low murmur. I nodded, understanding. She must feel terrible about having to leave them and knowing that she can never see them again.

Then I wondered why no one had gone to comfort her and why Alice had brought us home. As though she could read my thoughts, Alice appeared by my side and whispered in my ear. "Go and see her," she said.

I paused, uncertain, and she pushed me forward in encouragement. Taking her hint, I headed up the stairs, using my hearing to guide me to the guest room that Esme had set up for Amile.

When I reached the door of her room, I peeked cautiously round the edge. The newborn seemed completely unaware of my presence; she was curled into a foetal position and sobbing tearlessly into the pillows.

Amile looked up at me with a broken expression, but didn't move. "Are you alright?" I asked her softly. She shook her head at me and I crossed the room and sat on her bed; wrapping my arms around in what I hoped was a comforting gesture as I rocked her slightly.

"Shh…it's alright," I crooned to her, "Don't cry. You're alright". I continued to hold her as she calmed down and soon pulled her self from my embrace.

"Thanks," she whispered, looking up at me gratefully.

I smiled at her, saying, "its okay". I couldn't help my curiosity so I asked tentatively, "So, what was wrong?" As soon as I said it, I regretted it, her face immediately became guarded and I knew she didn't want to talk about it. "You don't have to tell me," I assured her quickly. I didn't want to force into talking about anything.

She sighed. "I want to tell you," she mumbled, "But I can't; not right now".

I knew it would do her good to talk about whatever was on her mind, but she had to do it in her own time. "Whenever you're ready, we'll listen," I said.

"Thanks," Amile shifted uncomfortably, looking away. "Do you…uh…mind if I can be alone, please?" she asked, slightly shakily, "I need to think".

I nodded and gave her one last reassuring hug as I turned to leave; making sure her door was shut to give her as much privacy as possible.

Everyone glanced up as I came downstairs again and Edward came to my side to guide me to the loveseat. I smiled up at him and he returned it tenderly. "Nice work, Bella," Alice said quietly. I looked at her confused but she just smiled.

I noticed Edward was scowling at her and guessed she must be blocking her thoughts from him. "Poor girl," Esme sighed.

Carlisle nodded and I noticed both he and Jasper looked thoughtful. "When she was telling us how she was changed, she said something about not going to miss anything from her life," Jasper observed.

"Yes, but I don't think that was entirely the truth," I interjected and everyone faced me again. "What I mean is she's so upset. There has to be something bothering her," I explained.

"I agree," Jasper said unexpectedly. He glanced at me, probably sensing my surprise, "She was feeling loneliness, longing and a strange one…it was almost like she had been ripped in half," he struggled to describe what he meant.

"A lover?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper shook his head. "I don't think so; it feels different to that kind of loss, but I don't know what it is," he sighed.

"She'll talk to us when she's ready," I said assertively, hinting to end this conversation. Thankfully, they seemed to agree and let it drop. There would be time to get to her know her and time for her to get to know ours; and she would, I would make sure of it.

From the corner of my eye I saw Alice nod once, earning another frustrated glare from Edward, so I guessed I made a good choice.

"Alice, what are you keeping from me?" Edward finally asked, a frown still engraved on his marble brow.

She watched him with an immeasurable expression for a time before she sighed. "It's nothing too important, Edward," she said, "You will know when the time is right". The stare she gave him made me wander if she was telling him something through her thoughts and I was once again frustrated at not being able to hear them.

"Fine, Alice," Edward conceded, with another reluctant look at his sister.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Jasper asked, "Will we still be going to school or not?"

"You will still go to school," Carlisle confirmed, "Esme will be staying here with Amile". He looked to her and she smiled softly, already agreeing without having to be asked and he smiled in return.

Jasper looked unsure and wary but it was Rosalie that asked, "Is it wise to leave a newborn here with only one other person to help?"

"Amile is an extraordinarily controlled vampire," Carlisle asserted, "I'm sure she will be fine and in any case, Alice will be able to give some prior warning and none of us will be too far away".

"I still don't like it," Jasper grumbled and I could feel my temper flaring again. He sent me a wave of soothing calm as he defended, "Precautions are necessary, Bella; especially with an unknown vampire".

"I don't want to be any trouble to anyone," a small voice caught our attention. I mentally cursed us for forgetting that while she was preoccupied, she also still had enhanced hearing as we all turned to face a now uncomfortable Amile standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Please don't think it has anything to do with you dear," Esme tried to comfort, "Jasper just has more experience with what newborns can be like; he knows what to expect. But that doesn't mean that it has to happen that way".

"Yeah, I mean look at Bella. She's the weirdest vampire I've ever met, didn't do any of the usual newborn stuff," Emmett tactfully put in. Edward growled at him so I held his hand to distract him and he stopped but not before glaring at his brother again.

"What he means to say," Carlisle backtracked, sending Emmett a disapproving look, "is that everyone reacts in a different way and some are more controlled than others, like you".

Amile watched all of us confused. "I'm…more controlled?" she asked.

"You didn't notice? You think all newborns can resist hunting like you did?" Emmett snorted, earning yet another smack from Rose.

"It's not like I had anything to compare it to," she snapped defensively.

"Ooh, she's feisty," he leaned back to consider her. "I like you," he said randomly, holding out his fist to bump hers with and she hesitantly touched her knuckles with his.

"Is he always like this?" she asked, turning to look at me this time.

I rolled my eyes. "You have no idea," I muttered.

The newborn laughed delightedly and then seemed fascinated with the sound. "Wow," she whispered, "There's just so much to get used to".

I nodded; understanding and sympathetic. I remembered all too clearly how, even though it was everything I had ever wanted, it was still a lot to get used to in the beginning.

"Tomorrow, most of us have to go to school and Carlisle will be at work, will you be okay spending the day with Esme?" I asked, making sure to give her the choice.

She seemed hesitant and I noticed her shooting nervous glances at Jasper again, like she had when she first arrived earlier. Obviously she knew he was the main one who didn't want to trust her. "I don't mind, but like I said, I don't want to put anyone through any trouble".

"It's no trouble dear," Esme informed her and I could tell she was secretly pleased to have a chance to get to know her new 'daughter' alone and hope she might open up a bit.

Alice dance over to Amile and pulled her into a hug, being careful not to startle her but ignoring her husband's anxious face. "I have clothes for you in my room, I'll sort them out for you later," she pulled back to study her, "You'll need to hunt again in a couple of days, so maybe you could go out with Bella," she announced.

I faced her with a questioning look and she mouthed 'I'll explain later'. Edward was clearly not happy about possible dangers of me hunting alone with a newborn and was about to protest until Alice planted her feet and stared at him; most likely thinking very loud things at him by her concentrated expression.

"You guys have got to stop _doing_ that," Emmett complained suddenly and loudly, making all of us jump.

Alice broke her contact with Edward and gave a tinkling laugh. "Silly, Emmett. It's all part of the fun," she said with a sly smirk on her face.

"What fun?" he asked cautiously and somewhat suspicious of what the devious pixie was up to now. I idly wondered where this was going.

"Messing with you, of course," said pixie answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Emmett was frowning now, probably trying to work out her meaning like I was. "Are you serious? You guys mess with me?" he asked actually looking hurt by this revelation.

"Of course not, Emmy," Rosalie cooed, "Alice is joking with you". As she said this Alice burst into a fit a giggles and practically collapsed to the floor and would have done of Jasper hadn't come to hold her up straight. Jasper, apparently overwhelmed by his mate's amusement, sent a wave of it out to the rest of us.

That then ended with everyone rolling around, laughing hysterically. Even Esme and Carlisle were affected. "Would you guys quit that?!" A seriously annoyed voice floated from the stairs.

Jasper finally controlled himself and everyone could at last get off the floor and compose themselves, mumbling an apology to Renesmee. "Thank you!" she cried as she rushed back to her bed.

"What was _that_?" Amile gasped.

"_That_ would have been Jasper," Alice giggled.

Jasper mock glared at her and added, "It was _her_ amusement that did it". But despite his words her still stared at her lovingly and she stared back.

"Jasper has the ability to sense and manipulate emotions," Carlisle explained seeing her mystified look.

"Oh," Amile blinked in surprise, "Do any of you others have powers?" She seemed tentative when she asked this.

"Yes," I smiled encouragingly at her. "Alice can see the future and Edward can read minds, I have a shield and as you know, Renesmee can project thoughts into your mind".

Her eyes widened and she looked the most alarmed I had ever seen her. We all watched her warily, alert for any change in her behaviour. "You read minds?" she barely whispered, now staring in Edward's direction.

He nodded cautiously. "But I try to leave privacy where I can; I won't actively listen to your thoughts and I most certainly won't share them". They continued to maintain eyes contact until Edward nodded again and said, "I promise".

"Damn, now she's doing it!" Emmett whined for what felt like the millionth time tonight.

"Emmett, will you quit being rude," Rosalie hissed, but this time he ducked out of the way before she hit him and he turned to look at her smugly. Alice however had seen his decision and had already thrown a cushion so when he turned to Rose it hit him square in the back of the head.

Emmett grumbled incomprehensibly and Amile giggled. He seemed to brighten at the sound and grinned at her.

"Okay, so we have a few hours before the sun rises and we have to get ready for school, so what do we want to do?" Alice asked, waiting expectantly. We shrugged. She sighed and said, "I'll go find some entertainment then," and disappeared out the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys, yes I finally decided to update again!! This is a special one because today, I recieved an offer from the college I applied to to do an animal welfare and behaviour foundation degree so I'm all kinds of excited. All I need to do for that now is get the A level grades I need for it, which happens to only be two E's. Sorry for those outside the UK, I don't know what the equivalent is to wherever you are.**

**Right other things...I want to thank all of those who have been reading and especially those who review; all of your support id greatly appreciated and I really hope you are enjoying this as I have come to realise its probably not one of my better stories, but I am trying to keep it up.**

**Umm...voting for the Inspiration Is Key Contest is still going on, until the 25th January, so check out the stories on the C2 and vote for you favourite one!! The link is on my profile if you're interested, there are some good stories from some excellent author's there (in my opinion at least).**

**If you like reading this, you might like to check out my other stories, **_Gentle Touches_** and, **_Can't Take My Eyes Off You_** which is the story I entered into the above contest. Again, thank you to all my readers, and all those anonymous reviewers who I can't send messages to as well, glad to see you're all getting involoved.**

**Sorry for the longish AN that is full of mostly drabble...or all drabble, either way. Thanks for reading and review!!!**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**animal8 xx**


	8. 7 School and Songs

**Not Enough**

Chapter 7 – School and Songs (BPOV)

We ended up having a long and random game of monopoly; which was very hard with Edward reading people's minds and Alice seeing people's moves. To be fair, I tried to even it up by shielding everyone, so Edward couldn't read their minds. He had shot me a disparaging glare when he realised what I had done.

By some miracle Emmett of all people had managed to win our absurd game, though I have a sneaking suspicion he cheated. That was later confirmed when I had taken down my shield and Edward started having a go at him till me and Jasper dragged him off.

So all in all, it had turned out to be a very interesting night and an excellent opportunity for Amile and my family to bond and it seemed to be going well. She was definitely more comfortable around us and people were no longer shooting her wary and cautious glances like she would explode at any time.

We actually had a great laugh, mostly at Emmett's expense of course. Carlisle and Esme seemed pleased at our interaction as well as they watched our fun with parental amusement.

"Come on, love," Edward whispered in my ear, "We need to go to school."

I groaned. "I can understand now why you guys always found school so boring," I moaned.

He chuckled and sent shivers down my back. "It's honestly not so bad when you have someone to share it with," he shrugged.

I really liked the sound of that I thought as I turned to face him. "I love you," I whispered pointlessly. He smiled softly and pressed his lips to mine quickly and gently before pulling away.

"We really do need to leave, love," Edward said, "Everyone's in the car waiting."

That made me start in surprise; were we really running that late? "You're very easily distracted," he answered as though he could read my mind and laughed musically. I sighed. He didn't know the half of it. "What were you thinking of?" he asked curiously.

"Monopoly," I said simply. He laughed again, probably picturing Alice's stunned face as she was trying to figure out how she lost and Emmett's little 'victory dance' after he had won. That memory made me smile and I pulled Edward after me as I led the way out of the house.

"Bye Esme, Amile. See you after school," we called at the same time, causing both of them to giggle.

Edward grinned at me and took my hand as he opened my door for me. I would've blushed if I were human. He still kept my hand in his in between the seats as we drove and I didn't miss Alice grumbling about us taking our time to get ready.

Renesmee and Jake met us in the car park when we arrived, Jake having arrived early to pick our daughter up. "S'up, Bells," he greeted me cheerily.

"Hey, Jake," I said. He engulfed me in a hug to rival Emmett's and I laughed as I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm pleased to see you too," I managed to get out.

He carefully placed me on the ground and Edward was immediately beside me, curling his arm around my waist. I rolled my eyes at him and looked at Jacob. "So how's the rest of the pack? You should invite them around, I'm sure Esme will be delighted to have more reason to practise her culinary skills," I offered.

I could see Jake's face light up at the mention of Esme's cooking and I remembered the wolves had a soft spot for her food. "I would sure love to and I'm sure Seth and Leah would too," Jake said, hesitating before he added, "Not sure about the others, though. You know that we had another new one phase when we were down La push our first day back and Quil and Embry had to stay home."

"Yeah, I remember," I said thoughtfully, "How is she by the way?"

"Still in shock," Jake admitted, shaking his head sadly, "I don't think she's left Embry's side once. Even Sam can't get her away."

"How many wolves are in La push now?" Edward spoke up beside me as we stood outside the building to our first class.

"Not that many," Jacob said, "Only Sam, Colin and Brady from the pack we left here when we left and a couple of new ones that phased with Angel. You'll have to meet them at some point so they can get used to your scents seeing as the treaty is void and you can enter our land now."

"We'll arrange it with Carlisle," Edward promised and with that we said goodbye and went to our class.

(EsPOV)

I could see Amile was obviously still very nervous, more so now than last night without all the company of the others. I gave her space to settle and didn't try to push her, though she looked so lost that all I wanted to do was comfort her.

"You really do have a wonderful home here, Mrs Cullen," she said suddenly.

I turned to her with a kind smile. "Thank you, dear. And please, call me Esme," I told her.

She smiled back at me. "Thank you, Esme," she whispered.

"You're more than welcome," I responded easily. "Do you like it here?" I asked, genuinely interested to see what she thought.

"Yes," she answered, "It's very peaceful; not at all what I'm used to." She paused then, seeming to think that she had perhaps said too much. There was so much I wanted to know about her, but I knew I couldn't ask.

"I'm glad you like it," I said honestly, "You should come the next time we have an extended hunting trip. The woods are quite beautiful. And the boys always provide enough entertainment with their mischief." I thought fondly of the play fights Jasper and Emmett were always getting into because Emmett kept trying to interfere with all of Jasper's hunts for some reason.

"Emmett seems to be a big kid at heart," Amile observed thoughtfully, "But still there's something very - I don't know - big brotherly about him."

That was a very good description of him. "Yes, he is," I drifted to where she was on the sofa and sat a careful distance from her to not exclude her but not make her nervous either. "He always like's to make sure his sister's are okay. When Bella was human, he was always helping her like that," I frowned, "Or at least he was when he wasn't making fun of her."

"Bella was human?" she questioned, suddenly more interested.

"She was when we found her. Edward changed her," I said, trying to answer her question without telling Bella's story. "If you want to know, you should ask Bella; I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you," I suggested.

"Of course," she said, looking away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded like that. It was rude of me."

"Don't apologise, sweetie," I said gently, "You're bound to be curious, it's perfectly natural."

Amile didn't seem consoled by that but she let it drop. "When I was…human, my sister and I did everything together," she barely whispered and she still refused to make eye contact.

I didn't like to see her struggling like she was, so I said, "You don't have to say anything until you're ready."

"I know," she said softly, "But you've done so much for me already and I feel you deserve to know something of the people living under you own roof." Her red eyes met my gold ones and I saw the sincerity there.

She wanted to say something so I decided to let her get it off her chest. Maybe talking to me would help her to accept what had happened. So I listened.

"She was my best friend and I didn't have many as it was," she took a deep, though unnecessary breath; "My mother wasn't exactly what one would call a dedicated parent. In fact, she was very much the opposite.

"I was always the odd one out and while my sister sat and talked with me my mother could never be bothered. Either that or she'd contribute to it," she snorted bitterly, "She was always putting me down, telling me how I was a waste of space and I should be more like my sister even though she thought she was a waste of space as well.

"Most people would be jealous or angry at their sister if they're always being compared to them, but it was never like that for me and Amy. We were closer than anything and we found peace and comfort in each other-" she broke off there with a sob and I instinctively pulled her into my arms.

"Shh, it's okay," I whispered. I was trying to hold back my sympathetic sobs while I was wondering how an earth a mother could treat her own children so disgracefully. My own motherly feelings were still very much strong after the death of my son and all I wanted right now was just to take away all her pain.

Soon after the outburst she calmed down but thankfully didn't pull out of my embrace, I already felt as though she were one of my children. "Thank you," she mumbled into my chest.

"Thank _you_ for telling me," I pulled her back and held her face so I could meet her gaze. She didn't try to look away. "I know how hard that must have been for you and you have to know: we are all here for you, whenever you need it just let us know, okay?"

She nodded and I smiled, satisfied that she would. "I know I've not known you long, but I already feel as though you're a mother to me," she admitted and I could feel my heart swell with pleasure

A delighted grin spread on my face. "I already feel as though you're one of my own," I told her back and hugged her again which she gratefully returned.

"So the others go to school and Carlisle works?" she asked, confused and I think a bit uncomfortable.

I smiled gently. "Yes. It's to keep up the cover you see," I explained, "If we act like normal people we can stay in an area for longer, usually a few years, sometimes a little more."

She nodded thoughtfully, taking in what I had said. "That makes sense," she said slowly, "What will you say about me, if people find out I'm here? Because it's not like I can go to school just yet."

Hmm, she had a point. "We'll work something out," I assured her, "We can always say we only just adopted you and we wanted you to get settled in and get used to people first. You don't have to worry."

Amile seemed relieved and I was glad. Her gaze drifted around the room and I stayed quiet watching to see what she was thinking until she settled on the piano. As she studied it I asked, "Do you play?"

She swung her head back to look at me. "A little," she confessed, "I don't know much, though."

"Do you want to play?" I asked, noticing her longing look at the instrument, "You can if you want."

"You don't mind?" she asked astonished.

"Well, it's really Edward's, but he's a kind soul; I'm sure he wouldn't mind," I encouraged, all too eager to hear what she could do.

"Okay," she barely whispered as she left her seat beside me and walked cautiously to the piano bench, lifting the lid as she sat down carefully. Amile took a breath, her fingers lightly gracing the keys, stroking them. Then she began to play.

The notes floated in the air: bright, happy and hopeful. They painted vibrant images in my mind as I listened for several minutes before they drifted softly to a close. Her breath hitched once she finished and she stayed staring blankly at the black and white keys in front of her.

A loud excited squeal shocked the silence and Amile jerked round to face the new arrivals only to be smacked into by an overly hyper Alice who was the source for the loud noise.

"Alice," Jasper hissed from where he stood next to a slightly disgruntled Edward. Oh dear, I thought, frowning worriedly.

"Isn't she perfect, Jasper?" Alice asked, dismissing his rebuke. "That was beautiful, Amile." Again she squealed.

"I didn't think you'd be one for classics," Edward commented, seeming calm now. Hopefully that meant he wouldn't give her any trouble for using his precious piano. Hearing my thoughts he inclined his head to me with a sly glance to Bella, who was looking slightly smug.

Amile looked surprised at Edward talking to her about it and she answered quietly, "My sister and me love that song. She was never any good at playing so I learnt it instead so we could sit together at the piano in our dining room and listen to it. Took me forever to learn it, but I did it for her – for us."

"You love her," Bella stated.

"Yes," Amile mouthed, "Very much." She set her mouth in a way that said she was determined not to talk anymore and we took the hint.

"Hey, Amile," Emmett bounded over to her, barging past Jasper and pulling Alice away from her, resulting in a very pissed looking pixie. "Come play video games with me and Jasper. Edward isn't allowed to play with us because he cheats." As he said this he sent a glare in said cheater's direction and Amile giggled at the serious look on his face.

"Emmett, you messed up my clothes!" Alice suddenly exploded, scowling with her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Sorry, little sis," Emmett tried to apologise, backing away with his hands up but Alice just growled at him. He looked imploringly at Jasper who rolled his eyes and came to his brother's aid.

"Calm, Alice," Jasper said, a hand on her shoulder to unleash the full force of his gift.

"Jasper," Alice whined, shooting a playful glare at him to which he just smiled easily and Alice weakened, giving him a peck on the lips.

"NO PDA!" Emmett yelled, reaching around to cover Amile's eyes with his hands.

Alice snarled. "Don't think I have forgotten what you did to my clothes. You will pay," she threatened. Emmett laughed.

"Umm, Emmett?" Amile asked, sounding unsure, "Could you please remove your hands?"

"Oops," he quickly moved his hands behind his back with a guilty look on his face.

"Thanks," Amile laughed.

"Come on, Amile," Alice said, snatching her hand and dragging her upstairs, "I've got to show you your new clothes."

As they disappeared into her room Bella said, "I'm just glad it's not me."

"I HEARD THAT!" Alice shouted. "IT'S YOUR TURN LATER!"

"Damn," Bella muttered, "Guess I should've thought about that." Edward chuckled beside her and she whacked him and dragged him outside. "We're going for a run," she called as she closed the door.

"Hey," Emmett whined, "Alice. Amile was going to play with us." He ran upstairs alone after Jasper had made it clear that 'he was no part of this and he didn't want to get between Alice and something she wants'.

There was a growl, some muffled cursing and scuffling and then Emmett tumbled back down the stairs, followed by Alice and Amile's tinkling laughter. "I warned you," Jasper shrugged as he walked to the games room.

"Stupid pixie," Emmett mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

I sighed; just another average day in the Cullen household.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hi guys! So sorry for not updating in god knows how long. I quite liked this chapter, you finally get to see something of Amile's history, though there will definitely be more revealed later ;D. If anyone cares to know, I slways imagined the song being played by Amile to be Bach's Prelude I. (This is a very awesome song, for those that like the kind of classical music. I used to play this on the piano; it's one of my favourites).

For those who read my other story 'Gentle Touches' I am again so sorry for not updating as promised, but I will make a promise to update next Friday, May 28th, as it's my 18th birthday and I like to udate to celebrate ;D.

I hope there are people still reading this and that you are enjoying this as I am enjoying writing this. I will probably nmot get this, but could we try and reach, say, 8 reviews for this chapter before I update again? Thanks to all my readers and all those who review, add to story alert, story favs, author alert, etc.

Thanks again,

R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E

animal8 xx


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